The present invention is directed to building panels and particularly, wall and ceiling security panels for prison cells and the like.
Exploding prison populations require new jails to house prisoners during their detention. Governments have a great need for cost-effective prison cell structures that can be constructed rapidly at minimum cost to taxpayers. Accordingly, there is a great need for security panel systems with components that can be assembled in a variety of configurations to suit architectural layouts of prison buildings. The security panels must have sufficient strength to resist physical impact with no unreinforced, exposed edges that can be pried free by prisoners.
Though not particularly directed to security panel applications, there have been prior designs of building construction panels for use as interior or exterior walls and ceilings, though none of them appear to be suitable for use in construction of prison cells or other security panels in detention facilities.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,922,054; 2,059,483; 3,977,144; and 4,484,428 concern suspended ceiling structures having panels retained in structural grids, particularly for interior decoration. Patents for roofing panels having interlocking edges include U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,155,206; 4,269,012; 4,271,653 and 4,694,628. U.S. Pat. No. 980,255 is directed to a greenhouse structure, wherein glass panels are clamped between greenhouse sash bars and drip troughs by wing nuts.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,050,503 shows a sectional wall panel having a pair of edges that are bolted to the edges of a next contiguous sheet. The remaining two panel edges are clamped between a clamping member and a stud. As can be appreciated by one skilled in the art, a strong impact blow to the center of one of the panels shown in the '503 Patent can pop the panel from under the clamping member edges.
It is an object of the present invention to create a security panel system so that security panels, such as walls and ceilings of prison cells can be constructed quickly and cheaply from kits of standard size components.
It is another object of the present invention to create a security panel system having a minimum number of standard size components for construction of security panels, to minimize inventories of different types of components and reduce inventory overhead for manufacturers, distributors and purchasers of the components.
It is an additional object of the present invention to create security panel system components that can be easily and inexpensively fabricated.
It is yet another object of the present invention to create a security panel system that can be constructed into relatively strong security panels, capable of resisting forceful impacts while maintaining structural integrity.